Sir Francis Stillman Barnard, KCMG  (Frank Jr)

Frank Barnard Jr was a Canadian parliamentarian and the tenth Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.  KCMG is the shortened version for “Knight Commander”:  “The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.”

  • In 1860, Frank Jr moved with his mother to Victoria, BC, where his father had preceded them by a year. He would spend the next 10 years out East, in college, furthering his education.
  • In 1873, he returned to British Columbia where he assisted his father, Francis Jones Barnard (Frank Sr), in the operation of the family business, Barnard’s Express.
  • In 1880, he was appointed as manager of the company when his father’s health turned for the worse.
  • He continued in this position until 1888, when he resigned to successfully run for the Cariboo seat in the House of Commons. Politically, he was a “liberal conservative”, as Stillman was an ardent supporter of John A. Macdonald, with whom he campaigned and worked actively for the rapid settlement and development of the province.
  • In addition to his primary role in Barnard’s Express, Frank Jr was a very influential and successful businessman. His most important business venture, from a Tally-Ho perspective, was that he was president and majority shareholder of Victoria Transfer Co. Ltd. (and its counterpart, Vancouver Transfer Co. Ltd).
  • He was also director and secretary of the Vancouver Improvement Company, a director of the Hastings Sawmill Company, the British Columbia Milling and Mining Company, and of the Selkirk Mining and Smelting Company. He was a Victoria City Councillor in 1886 and 1887. He was a member of the Union Club in Victoria, and of the Rideau Club in Ottawa. From 1914 to 1919, he was the tenth Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. He was knighted in 1919 by Edward, Prince of Wales.
  • Sir Barnard resided at Duval Cottage, Victoria, and the family gravesite is in Ross Bay Cemetery.